Q&A: Get To Know The Iowa State Cyclones

We traded questions and answers this week with Jared Stansbury of Cyclone Fanatic. He gave good insight on the ‘Clones and what to expect on Saturday.

1. Paul Rhoads’ coached teams always seemed to play such a gritty version of football. Coach Campbell hit the ground running with a solid recruiting class, any thoughts on the Campbell era so far and his fit in Ames?

The Matt Campbell most definitely got out to a fast start as they were able to put together one of the best recruiting classes in school history in just a few months. That coupled with his energy, social media presence and ability to say all the right things made fans very optimistic entering the season. Some of that optimism was lost after the season opening loss to Northern Iowa, but has returned with the team’s improvement over the past couple weeks.

2. Offensively, the Cyclones were clicking against Baylor and the unit returns Joel Lanning (and Georgia transfer Jacob Park), all-conference skill players Mike Warren and Allen Lazard are hitting their stride. What’s the general outlook for the offense as conference play heats up?

Iowa State’s offense has all the pieces to be one of their best of recent years. Lanning and Park usually rotate in the QB role (although Lanning played the whole game against Baylor) and both bring unique dual-threat traits to the table. Lazard is, to put simply, a freaking stud that often forces opponents to shift their defense his way.

Warren has been getting back to his freshman form the past few weeks as the offensive line has come into shape. That line is the biggest question mark for the unit. Saturday’s game will be the fourth with this same group and I’d expect more improvement from them this week.

3. I can’t imagine Warren and Lazard aren’t high up there, but who are the players on both sides of the ball that are fan favorites for the Cyclones?

Warren, Lazard and Lanning are all high up on the list. A few others would be reigning Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year Demond Tucker, true freshman wide receiver Deshaunte Jones, cornerback Brian Peavy and safety Kamari Cotton-Moya.

4. The offense found great balance last week against Baylor, would you say the greater strength though is running the ball (with players like Warren and Lanning) or passing it to threats like Lazard and Ryen?

I think Iowa State’s staff wants to keep that same balance this season, but in the future they hope to make the run game the focus. Right now, I’d say the pass game is the greater strength just based on the explosiveness of the wide receivers and the questions along the offensive line. Lazard, Ryen and Jones make for a pretty formidable trio. Add redshirt freshman Hakeem Butler, sophomore Carson Epps and senior Dondre Daley and you get a better than solid unit of pass catchers.

5. Saw a piece on Mitchell Myers in the Des Moines Register, touching stuff very similar to that of Pittsburgh running back James Conner. As a team captain and veteran, what would you say Meyers has meant to the team, both emotionally and the field?

I think seeing what Mitchell has done has been a great motivator for the team and people here in general. This is a dude that was battling cancer a year ago and now he’s out there playing college football. I’m not sure I, or many people for that matter, have that kind of resolve. The best part is it doesn’t seem like his ability to play has been effected. It really is one helluva story.

6. The combination of Meyers and Demond Tucker up front teams well with the experience and talent on the backend to form a solid unit for ISU. What are the strengths of the unit and would you say stopping the pass or the run is the strength of the defense?

The strength is far and away the defensive secondary. Peavy is one of the most underrated players in the league and Cotton-Moya is unquestionably the defense’s leader. Plus, you can never call rush defense a strength one week after giving up more than 400 yards and making Shock Linwood look like the Heisman Trophy winner.

7. After how well Lanning performed against Baylor, do you expect it to be his job moving forward and can you talk about what each of Joel Lanning and Jacob Park bring to the table?

I think Campbell and the staff plan to stick with the rotation unless a situation comes up in which one of the quarterbacks really finds a rhythm, like Lanning did against Baylor. Lanning is a bit more of the hard nosed running type quarterback but has an absolute cannon for an arm.

His accuracy can be questionable at times, but he is one of the team’s best leaders. Park is more of a gun-slinger that has drawn comparisons to former Cyclone quarterback Steele Jantz. He throws a beautiful ball, but his decision making can suffer at times.

8. Defensively, Kamari Cotton-Moya has been a playmaker, corner Brian Peavey had a phenomenal freshman year and Demond Tucker has been picked as an all-conference level defensive lineman in his short time in Ames. Who else should the Cowboys be watching out for on that side of the ball?

Redshirt freshman safety Mike Johnson has essentially been tabbed as Cotton-Moya’s protege and has been solid during the first five games. Linebackers Willie Harvey and Reggan Northrup both bring a great deal of athleticism, but both players are young and can get caught up making poor decisions. All three will be big parts of the defense over the next few years.

9. Big 12 expansion has been a hot topic of late. What seems to be Iowa State’s general preference for expansion and teams they would like added?

I think most people around Iowa State are in favor of some kind of expansion. The perception seems to be adding team’s might make the Cyclones’ schedule a little easier and therefore easier to make it to a bowl game. The teams I’ve heard people talk about most as best case scenarios for Iowa State are Cincinnati and Memphis.